A Cardinal Reborn a Phoenix
by DrinkMePlease
Summary: We are going to follow team CRDL from the fall of beacon and beyond as their lives are turned upside down and they are forced to grow up fast. Will they keep up and rise above the darkness of the coming war, or will they sink into the abyss and die? Come along and find out.


**A/N: Welcome to my first attempt at fanfiction in a couple years. I didn't want the first chapter to be this short but I also wanted to get something out to gauge interest in the fic. Rate and review and let me know if this is wanted! Enjoy.**

 _Holy Shit. Please tell me this is just a bad dream._ Cardin looked to the hologram screen he'd been viewing the Vytal Festival Tournament on, then there was that voice. Now there was nothing but static. The information his head was trying to process was immense. He was shaken from these thoughts by the blaring of alarms throughout the school and an automated voice warning of an incoming Grimm attack. Not wasting any time Cardin ran toward the locker rooms to grab his equipment. Processing what he'd just seen and heard could wait. He was no coward and he'd be damned if he wouldn't try to fight off the threat of Grimm.

It only took him a few minutes to get from his dorm to his locker, which he quickly unlocked, grabbing his combat gear and his mace, looking down on the hefty weapon, briefly clenching his fists around its massive handle. "Show time…" He suited up as quick as he could manage and ran out the doors into the courtyard, halting as he looked into the air over Vale. One of the Atlesian ships in the sky was pointed toward the other ships, and opened fire. "What the hell is happening?!" He then looked to the sky seeing bullheads come down into Beacon's courtyard and White Fang members jumping out of them, and with them came Grimm rushing toward the school.

Cardin couldn't help but see red as he saw those damned faunus terrorists release the grimm on students who were unable to yet arm themselves. He rushed forward with a ferocious battle cry, mace ready to strike. The White Fang, having not expected anyone to be suited up and ready for the attack quite yet, seeing as most students were at the stadium watching the tournament, were taken by surprise when Cardin slammed his mace across 3 of them, sending them flying. "You dirty animals! How dare you come to MY school?" He brought his mace down on an attacking Fang member, slamming him into the ground leaving a small crater "Guess I'll just have to put you pests in your place." He stood ready as more Fang members charged. He skillfully swung his mace with a quickness surprising given its mass, parrying and deflecting incoming attacks with ease, countering and dispatching any who would oppose him.

After the short skirmish, and about 20 White Fang grunts failing to take him down, he straightened out seeing other students had armed themselves and started combatting the grimm that had been released upon the school. He ran off toward the landing pads, hoping to get a ride into Vale so he could take the fight to the city. It was his moment for glory. He would be the hero he'd always wanted to be. _Maybe I'll get famous for saving a bunch of civilians, or for killing more grimm than any other hunter in training. After Fame comes the money, then I'm set!_ He smirked to himself as he boarded a shuttle with a few other students who had volunteered to venture to the city, along with a few professors and huntsmen who had been at the school for the festival. As it took off he looked around at the faces of the other passengers and noticed they didn't seem to share his enthusiasm. Yeah sure he was a bit scared, who wouldn't be? He didn't let that kill his buzz though. He was going to finally get the recognition he deserved.

The shuttle soon landed in Vale and the occupants scattered in all directions. Cardin lagged behind a bit to see where the least huntsmen ran off to so he had a higher population of grimm to slaughter. He strolled along with his mace across his shoulders and rolled his neck as he walked a few blocks into the city away from any of the other huntsmen. He casually whipped his mace about whenever some beowolves would get the bright idea to attack him. After a few blocks he heard a commotion in the distance in the direction he'd already been walking and he picked up the pace, thinking maybe someone may need reinforcements. He soon came upon a scene of Professor Goodwitch and Ruby's Uncle if he wasn't mistaken, fighting hordes of grimm. He rushed to their aid, attacking a few beowolves that were rushing the huntsmen from the rear. He easily dispatched the creatures turning around wordlessly taking a defensive stance. He raised an eyebrow as he heard the Atlesian robots stop shooting, their blue LEDs going red and turning their weapons on the huntsmen. His expression soon became one of worry as he backed up a bit, but before he could get gunned down by the knights, they themselves were dispatched with ease by General Ironwood. He looked at the general's display of martial prowess as he dispatched the robotic soldiers with skilled ease. "Holy shit…" He mumbled to himself as he stood aside letting the veteran huntsmen talk amongst themselves, but before any talking could be done Qrow faked out the general dispatching a grimm that was about to get the jump on him. As the three talked amongst themselves Cardin stood to the side wondering if they'd acknowledge his existence or if they'd forgotten him altogether.

The remaining ship in the air came down over the city and crashed, exploding in a fireball a few blocks away. Cardin was distracted and caught up in the destruction staring slack-jawed at the fires raging across Vale. "Mister Winchester." Glynda spoke looking to the hunter in training with a stern expression written across her face as she addressed the habitual problem student. "I want you to gather your team and regroup with the other huntsmen to establish a safe area in vale and begin search and rescue operations through the city."

Cardin nodded stiffly, standing at attention. "Yes ma'am." He meekly barked out as he looked to the other huntsmen running off to begin their own tasks. He pulled out his scroll and brought up the menu which revealed the aura levels, locations, and comms with his team. He growled a bit as the locations were not being displayed properly so it looked like he'd have to find them the hard way. He spoke into the scroll "Sky, Dove, Russ, where are you?"

A panicked voice came from the other side which Cardin immediately recognized as Sky. "Its Sky. I'm with Dove and we're fighting our way towards the Dust Till Dawn shop. We heard that there's some people there hiding from the Grimm. We're gonna try to get them somewhere safer."

Cardin nodded a bit and sighed. "What about Russ? Any idea where he is?"

"No idea. Sorry Cardin but we're trying our best to just keep ourselves alive. Meet us at the shop and we'll all go looking for him." Sky spoke as calm as he could manage, his heavy breathing made it obvious that he and Dove were obviously making tracks as fast as they could to the aforementioned shop.

"Sounds good. I'll meet you there. Don't die you two." Cardin chuckled a bit, trying to keep his spirits up as best he could given circumstance.

"Same goes for you. We're going to need the whole team to survive this Cardin." Sky spoke grimly before disconnecting the call. He looked around briefly to acquire his bearings before quickly bolting in the direction of the dust shop. In the back of his mind he was hoping to whatever divine beings may listen that Russel wasn't dead. His aura was registering so that was a good sign, but with the system being as glitchy and broken as it was at the moment he didn't really trust the readings he was getting.

A few scuffles with small packs of beowolves and a few blocks later he came upon the dust shop which was looking worse for ware. The old shop keeper was talking to Sky and Dove. He walked up and looked to his teammates and the shop. "Have either of you been able to get a hold of Russ?"

"I haven't and neither has Sky. We've been trying this whole time" He sighed a bit shaking his head. "We should try our best to find him… Is your locator working?"

"No. That's why I called you instead of just making my way here. Shit. Where was he last?" Cardin pulled out his scroll looking at a map of vale.

"He was going to that one club… with the twins and the big guy at the bar. We went there a few weeks ago." Dove pointed to the club on the map. "There… So I say we head there and work our way out away from the bar and try to find him"

Cardin sighed. Time was of the essence and this was just about all they could do. "Fine… let's get moving. Faster we find him the less likely we'll find him dead!" He and his teammates made their way deeper into Vale, running as fast as they could toward Junior's club.


End file.
